


Couldn't Be Further

by gh0strobin



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: College AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-05-30 22:01:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19412278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gh0strobin/pseuds/gh0strobin
Summary: They started off as penpals. Now, Ed and Ling are the most unusual pairing—Prince of Xing and broke and hassled college kid. Al is the self-appointed third wheel who keeps Ling updated on the Chemist Graduate Hopeful’s condition.





	Couldn't Be Further

Ling never bothered to ask Al questions about himself. Not that he wasn’t interested—no, Ling was a great friend. Always willing to listen. Loyal to a fault. They just had a certain kind of relationship. A relationship centered on one person for the both of them. Because of this, they’d made an agreement three years ago.

On the exact day Al accompanied Ed to meet his long time penpal Ling Yao, they’d struck a deal. Al would keep Ling updated on Ed during the school months. The brothers always bunked together and no one was more aware of Ed’s habits. During the summer months, when Ed would visit his now boyfriend, Ling would keep Al updated on his brother’s shenanigans.

In this way they both were able to care for him, even when he was a desert away.

Al only had one stipulation. Only so much was allowed to be shared back to him. He and his brother did have some boundaries, after all.

Al continued his studies over the summer. Interns and clinicals didn’t take a break just because the weather changed outside. Ed learned everything he could about Xingese chemistry, and the different approaches to the art they’d developed. They grew in their separate places and met up stronger in the fall.

Truly, Al could see no downsides.

He tried to remind himself of this, right now, at this exact second.

Ed mumbled to himself. Half-finished homework and at least three different textbooks surrounded the yellow haired fool. A graph stuck to his face. Fingers poked out from his blanket, clutching a pencil like a dagger.

“Ling, I swear if you don’t get back here, I’ll!” Ed’s rambling faded off. His arm jerked in small stabby motions. “That’ll show you not to steal the… bear…”

Whenever Ed pushed himself too hard, he tended to have bad dreams. Ed always pushed himself too hard. He could probably push himself into nightmares crossing the street. Al thought this dream may be a combination of their childhood tutor and Ling, but then, he wasn’t sure.

He didn’t know many people with any connection to bears, though. The options were limited.

“Ed?”

Ed curled on his side. A chunk of hair stuck to the drool on his mouth. Al had been in the room only fifteen minutes ago. He’d left to grab some coffee from the cafeteria down the hall but apparently, he’d been gone just a few minutes too long.

Al gathered papers from the floor. He saw homework from at least three different classes. He’d tried telling his brother to concentrate on one at a time. The advice was as useful to Ed as a steam truck was to an ant. Even if Ed wanted to accept it, he’d have no idea how to implement it. Doing things any way but chaotically all at once was beyond him.

“I bet if Ling told you to slow down and take it easy, you’d listen. It’s not like you’re even behind!” Al paused in his paper gathering to snap a picture of Ed curled over on a stack of older books from last year. They’d paid five hundred dollars for them—might as well keep them.

He sent the photo to Ling, captioned “Come wrangle your boyfriend before his study habits snore him to a failed exam.”

Ling would set things straight. The Prince had a way of badgering Ed into seeing sense and taking care of himself. Al was certain Ling’s magic had saved Ed from his self-neglect more than a handful of times.

And if Ling didn’t work, Al could always set Winry on him. She’d force him to relax. Neither of the Elrics enjoyed Winry’s wrath.

An hour and a half later, Al went to sleep. He didn’t bother waking his brother. Ed had been studying for three days straight, even through lunches and breaks. If he didn’t have it figured out by now, then there wasn’t much hope.

Al didn’t check his phone. If he had, he may have seen the new message notification.

And then another.

And another.

Thirteen times.

The next day went by almost uneventfully. Al would have found the lack of excitement boring if it didn’t happen so very rarely. As it was, he was enjoying his art classes, reading over his immunology text book, drinking a bit more coffee than was maybe healthy.

He was just headed to his room with his fourth latte and a few very flaky, buttery croissants when he heard a bang come from his bedroom.

Much too loud to be something falling on the floor.

A thousand and one failed and at least a few successful experiments crossed his mind. Ed hadn’t mentioned trying out any new formulas but if his exam had gone badly… Al hurried up the last few steps and down the short hallway. They couldn’t afford to be moved to _another_ dorm. The Dean made them swear not to mess up this one.

To both Al’s annoyance and relief, he didn’t find Ed at the doorway at all.

No, instead a very tall Xingese man with fancy robes and an even fancier sword on his back was trying to break into his dorm. A very harried looking Lan Fan stood behind him, attempting without luck to pull his arm away.

Al gave them a few seconds to realize he stood there. He decided to speak up when he saw Ling draw his sword for his next attempt to get through the door.

“So, Ling, long time no see. What brings you to Amestris?”

Ling stopped abruptly and pivoted to face him. The sword stayed behind his back. Al thought he heard a distinctive clink as the sword was sheathed. Lan Fan pinched her nose and sighed a long, drawn out sigh.

“I told him not to come.” Lan Fan grumbled. “This is honestly your fault. You should have known better than to send that message!”

Sometimes Al forgot Ling was a Prince, in line to be Emperor of all Xing. It would be nothing for Ling to hop on a plane and fly over here.

Right.

“Um. Sorry.” Al offered a croissant. “Want one?”

Ling grabbed one from his hand and started munching on it. “You always have good food Alphonse. Where’s your brother?”

Al thought over the day. Ed had walked with him to first class, stayed after to talk to the teacher, and then…

“He never came to second period.” Al tapped his chin, trying to trace his brother’s steps. “It’s unusual for him to skip a class.”

Ling crossed his arms. The croissant was reduced to a few crumbs on the corner of his mouth. “I see. Give me another croissant.”

Al shrugged and handed over his last one. They were a bit rich on top of the latte. “The last time he skipped class, he’d fallen asleep in his desk and the teacher hadn’t felt the need to wake him up. He’d been pissed for at least a week.”

“Was he asleep when you left first period?” Lan Fan asked. She scoured the hallway for any sign of Ed. Al assumed she is what Ed would have become if Al’s entire life had been spent warding off assassins. The most protective of older siblings.

“No. He was going to talk to the teacher about some of his free work he’s been trying out.” Al knew the goals of the project, but since Ling wasn’t a chemistry major, he didn’t think it worth explaining. Al snapped. “He’s probably still in first period. The teacher has a free hour after, and sometimes they work together between classes. Ed doesn’t usually stick around unless he’s already worked it out with Ms. Hawkeye.”

“Has he mentioned any such thing?” Ling tugged Lan Fan back.

“Not to me.” Al unlocked his dormitory door. His side of the room had a well-made bed, a stack of books on the desk, a self-drawn poster of the elements. Ed’s was certainly clean, but clutter filled up the entire space.

On his bed, softly snoring with his head laying over a smudged draft of papers, was Ed.

“Found him.” Ling patted Al’s shoulder and hurried into the room. “Ed!”

Ed jerked awake. Paper stuck to his face—a more common occurrence than not. His head swung around, looking for the source of what woke him. “Ling?”

Ling crouched over Ed’s hunched shoulders. “I hear you’ve been neglecting yourself, Ed.”

Al snorted into his coffee cup.

“I’ve been fine. Did you come all the way for Xing to chew me out?” Ed hurried to organize the charts and formulas below him.

“Yes. Al said you’ve not been sleeping.”

“I did not!”

“In so many words.” Ling threw Ed over his shoulder. “Come with me. You’re going to relax. Xingese style.”

Al knew that this meant a long day of feasting and outdoor napping and wandering for the two of them. Despite his brother’s flailing legs, Ed would be more than grateful. Ling’s time wasn’t as free as his wealth. The visit would be good for both of them.

And Al could finally finish the automail poster Winry had been nagging him about. And maybe even a new children’s medical chart for Mei’s practice, since Ed would probably be out all day.

Ling and his brother argued all the way out the door. Ten minutes later, Al could see Ed’s efforts had renewed in earnest as Ling carried him across the school grounds. His big brother would hold that against him for the next three months.

Al grinned.

He was glad to have family willing to help. Even so far away.

A/N: Anyway, I know this is mostly Al just kind of dealing with the two of them but I wanted to write a little "How they work from an outsider's perspective" that was cute and fun and so I did. Hope you like it!


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